Going Guerillas in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

Share.

Keep an eye on each other out there.

By Mitch Dyer

Few developers truly understand co-op like Ubisoft. Adding a second, third, or fourth identical player to Halo doesn't do much more than make it easier to steamroll the AI. Co-op is especially bland if the difficulty doesn't scale to accommodate a group. Having friends present isn't enough to make a game more interesting – whether it's great or garbage.

Splinter Cell: Conviction's multiplayer made players work together or die, and a similar cooperative multiplayer mentality dictates the design of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. Ubisoft built campaign missions from the ground up for four players, and did it in such a way that prepares for online pals' inevitable mistakes. If someone blows the team's cover, everyone will have to cooperate more than ever.

This design consideration is even more pronounced in Guerilla, Future Soldier's wave-based survival mode. Yes, another one. Yes, it's awesome.

Compared to similar multiplayer modes, each Guerilla match has an atypical start. Before stocking up on explosives, gadgets, and fresh ammo, the Ghosts must sneak up on and capture an enemy outpost. Stealth is rare in Guerilla once the waves start, and this first stage of the match requires it. Make the most of it early on. Action erupts in a fashion that's rather unlike Ghost Recon as soon as the Ghosts stake their claim.

Despite this, slaughtering wave after wave of invaders works really well as a team.Remember, this is a mode constructed specifically for four people to play together. It's less about tradition and more about what works well with friends.

Guerilla scales its difficulty to cater to the number of people in a crew, but the maximum four is unquestionably the best way to go. That's more people to watch and revive each other, and more chances to break through the enemy's offense.

If enemies take over your spot, you're done. Guard it.

The Ghosts need any edge they can get. Guerilla is difficult. Ubisoft expects players to spend 20-30 hours getting through the entirety of Guerilla. This is a reasonable estimate. Each of the four stages has 50 waves, and getting through wave 10 can take even an excellent team 30-60 minutes. Fortunately, you can bail on any wave and come back to that spot later.

Early levels don't pull punches, and dangerous guys with riot shields show up early. By the time the tenth wave rolls around and the "boss" vehicles put their gear in park, a skilled team will still need luck to maintain any bonuses earned earlier.

Surviving waves in succession earns players perks, including enhanced radar, temporary invisibility, and a remote-controlled missile with devastating power. The moment someone dies, those abilities are gone and need to be re-earned from scratch.

This is a straightforward idea, but it's also a clever way to encourage cooperation and continuation. Knowing the eye in the sky won't be there to spot enemies, or not having a contingency plan when heavy armor starts obliterating the team is a great incentive to keep teammates covered.

Weapon caches with better guns appear between waves.

After every tenth wave the Ghosts sneak to the next enemy HQ, take out everyone in the area, and hold out again. It's a lengthy, deliberate process that requires care, cooperation, and patience above all else. Leapfrogging from one spot to the next lends some much-needed variety to this now-common gameplay type. The conditions for battle change just frequently enough to keep players on their toes and out of a comfort zone.

Although the campaign and Guerilla mode are two completely different experiences, they're cut from the same cloth. Guerilla, like the campaign, absolutely demands teamwork. Future Soldier abuses rogues and lone wolves -- they will not make it on their own -- while rewarding squads for success.